The health status of the early medieval population of Greater Moravia in relations to social and economic structures.

The Greater Moravian Empire (9th-10th century AD) was the first early state formation of the Slavonic populations in Central Europe. The focus of this research is the comparative assessment of the health status of three cemeteries of different socio-economic status in the area surrounding the Mikulcice castle. We have compared about 850 skeletons from (1) the castle cemetery and (2) non-castle cemeteries in Mikulcice and (3) a cemetery from the poor village of Josefov located eight kilometres from Mikulcice. The following characteristics were examined: linear enamel defects, dental caries, cribra orbitalia, Harris lines, trauma, degenerative joint disease and occupation stress markers, sexual dimorphism and demographic estimators. Hypoplastic defects of enamel determined on the permanent dentition of children appear with high frequency (over 80%). As the incidence of these defects is found mostly in individuals between the ages of 2 to 4 years, it is interpreted to be a consequence of weaning stress. Cribra orbitalia appears more frequently in the rural Josefov cemetery. Inhabitants at the extramural settlement exhibit poorer dental health than people buried inside the castle. Demographic estimators showed also clear the differences between the cemeteries in the Mikulcice settlement and inside the castle. The results show that there were significant differences between the health status of early Slavonic populations from South Moravia.

Variability in palatal shape and size in patients with bilateral complete cleft lip and palate assessed using dense surface model construction and 3D geometric morphometrics.

Bilateral complete cleft lip and palate (BCLP) is the most severe of the common orofacial clefts and is associated with the greatest deformity during development. The aim of this study was to use geometric morphometrics to evaluate palatal shape and size variability in patients with BCLP in comparison to nonclefted Czech boys. The variability of palatal size and shape in BCLP patients was greater when compared with the nonclefted population. Though palate variability in BCLP was wide, nonclefted palatal shapes were generally different (a high, wide and vaulted palate) and fell almost outside the range of BCLP variability. The palatal size and shape of BCLP patients (range from 12.1 to 16.5 years) was not correlated with age. A comparison of the mean shapes of the clefted and nonclefted groups showed that the BCLP palate is flatter and narrower. The most notable size difference was found in the area between the maxilla and premaxilla. This phenomenon is associated with the persisting separation of the premaxilla from the rest of the palate. The shape of the palatal configuration of the premaxilla and adjacent area was concave in the nonclefted group and convex in BCLP patients.

Three-dimensional morphology of the palate in patients with bilateral complete cleft lip and palate at the stage of permanent dentition.

OBJECTIVE: Three-dimensional analysis of palate size and shape in 30 patients with complete bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLPc) at the stage of permanent dentition. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study based on laser scanning. SUBJECTS: Thirty dental casts of boys approximately 15 years old with BCLPc and 28 dental casts of healthy boys of the same age. INTERVENTIONS: Arched-lip suture with periosteoplasty and push-back of the palate with pharyngeal-flap surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on palate height in the 210 defined locations and on palate widths and profile area in 10 transverse sections. RESULTS: The palate in patients with BCLPc was conical and narrower than in control study subjects, much more anteriorly than posteriorly. From the canines posteriorly, the palate was of almost constant height of 10 mm in the midline, being higher than in control study subjects at this location and lower more posteriorly (by 24% to 29% between molars). The area of transverse sections was reduced as compared with control study subjects from the first premolars posteriorly and reached more than 40% between molars. The length of the palate up to the first molars was not changed. CONCLUSION: BCLPc subjects exhibited narrow, low, and flat palate. Palate size and shape differences indicate a substantial reduction of the space for the tongue.

Three-dimensional analysis of maxillary dental casts using Fourier transform profilometry: precision and reliability of the measurement.

OBJECTIVE: Fourier transform profilometry was used for the three-dimensional measurement of maxillary dental casts to analyze the size and shape of the palate. The objective of this study was to test the accuracy of the measuring system and determine the precision and reliability of the measurement METHODS: Images of dental casts were analyzed using newly developed measuring software. Based on five landmarks located on the alveolar ridge, the measuring software constructed 10 transversal sections of the palate. In each section profile, the width, area, and 23 height variables were assessed. SUBJECTS: Maxillary dental stone casts of 25 healthy girls, 14.1 to 15.3 years of age, were studied. RESULTS: The technical error of measurement exceeded 5% of the size of the measurement only in variables with means less than approximately 3 mm. In fact, such small absolute dimensions were exhibited only by the palate height in anterior profile 2 and the palate height at the margins of other profiles. Reliability of the measurements was found to be very high for the width and area of the profiles. For height measurements, the coefficient of reliability was slightly lower at the profile margins than near the midline. Nevertheless, only three height variables showed a coefficient of reliability lower than 0.90. The coefficients of reliability of other height measurements of profiles 3 through 10 were only sporadically lower than 0.97. CONCLUSION: With regard to the accuracy of the measuring system as well as the precision and reliability of the measurement, this method proved to be a suitable tool for studying palatal morphology.

Three-dimensional morphology of the palate in subjects with isolated cleft palate at the stage of permanent dentition.

OBJECTIVE: Three-dimensional analysis of palate size and shape in patients with isolated cleft palate at the stage of permanent dentition. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using Fourier transform profilometry. SUBJECTS: Twenty-nine randomly selected dental casts of approximately 15-year-old boys with isolated cleft palate and 28 dental casts of normal boys of the same age. INTERVENTIONS: All patients were operated on by the same method (pushback and pharyngeal flap surgery) at a mean age of 4.5 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on the palate height in 210 defined locations (pixels). RESULTS: The palate in isolated clefts is narrower throughout its whole extent and lower from the level of the first premolars. The difference, as compared with controls, increases in a posterior direction. At the level of the first molars, palatal height is reduced by one-quarter, the area of the transversal section by more than one-third. The shaping of the palate vault is, on average, symmetrical with a marked interindividual variability. Palatal height does not depend on the width of the dentoalveolar arch, and the height of the primary palate is not reduced. CONCLUSION: The smaller width and reduced height from the level of the first premolars posteriorly confirm the substantially reduced space available for the tongue in patients with isolated cleft palate. Deviations are on the average symmetrical, and the anterior part of the palate is not shallower.

Three-dimensional morphology of the palate in subjects with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate at the stage of permanent dentition.

OBJECTIVE: Three-dimensional analysis of palate size and shape in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) at the stage of permanent dentition. SUBJECTS: Thirty randomly selected dental casts of boys approximately 15 years old with complete UCLP and 28 dental casts of normal boys of the same age. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent lip repair according to Tennison with primary periosteoplasty (mean age 8.5 months) and palate repair by pushback and pharyngeal flap surgery (mean age 4.9 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on the palate height in 210 defined locations. RESULTS: The palate in patients with UCLP was narrower throughout its whole extent, more anteriorly than posteriorly. From the canines posteriorly, it was also lower, and the difference as compared with controls increased in a posterior direction up to the level of second premolars (up to 30%) and then slightly diminished (to 21% between the first molars). The reduction of area of transverse sections reached 45% between premolars and 39% between first molars. The palate in the anterior portion was highest on the cleft side and in a posterior direction the maximum height of the palate shifted toward the midline and even beyond that line toward the noncleft side. Palatal height did not depend on dentoalveolar arch width. CONCLUSION: The smaller width and height of the palate confirm the substantially reduced space for the tongue in patients with UCLP. The reduction is only slightly larger than in previously examined patients with isolated cleft palate. Palatal vault is asymmetrical, highest anteriorly on the cleft side and posteriorly on the noncleft side.